A vehicle is generally provided with ah HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air-conditioning) system that is an air conditioning apparatus, in which the HVAC system can perform a variety of air conditioning functions, such as ventilation, cooling and heating, in the vehicle when a driver operates the system, thereby providing a comfortable air-conditioned environment to a driver and passengers of the vehicle. The HVAC system can be actuated when a driver or a passenger manipulates a control switch that is provided in a lower part of a right side of a steering wheel. In the HVAC system, an air ventilation passage can be controlled and an air conditioner compressor can be started by operating an automatic temperature control unit.
Further, a vehicle seat that provides a comfortable sitting feel to a person by a cushion is also provided with a variety of handy functional devices. In recent years, a heating or cooling apparatus has been installed in the vehicle seat. In an initial stage, vehicle seat heating apparatuses are generally used in which a heating wire is installed in a vehicle seat and provides a comfortable warm environment to a driver who drives in a winter season. However, such vehicle seat heating apparatuses are problematic in that they cannot perform a cooling operation although they can perform an efficient heating operation.
To overcome the above-mentioned problem, a thermoelement assembly is used to selectively cool or heat the vehicle seat. In a vehicle seat air conditioning apparatus using the thermoelement assembly as a heat source, a functional mesh is provided in which an air passage or an air ventilation structure that can allow air to freely pass is formed and air generated by the thermoelement assembly used as the heat source is supplied (blown) to the functional mesh so that the surface of the functional vehicle seat can be retained at a temperature desired by a person.
However, the thermoelement assembly that has been generally used in the HVAC system or in the vehicle seat air conditioning apparatus is problematic in that the thermoelement assembly generates condensate water during operation.